10.31.2010

Pumpkin Ice Cream with Gingerbread Croutons


We're all fans of David Lebovitz and The Perfect Scoop, but Maida Heatter has some divine ice cream recipes in her many cookbooks too. I know I've mentioned she is my dessert guru. (Her chocolate cookbook is part of my giveaway.) I'm going to post a couple of her ice cream recipes this holiday season.

Let's start with pumpkin. This ice cream tastes like pumpkin pie with a dollop of whipped cream, only frozen. And just to make it a touch more unusual, I made some gingerbread croutons. (Maida has a fabulous gingerbread recipe; please find it HERE.) I just cut some gingerbread cubes, dried them out in the oven and then melted a little butter and threw them in. Toss them around lightly until they get crunchy. You'll love them with this ice cream.

You DO need an ice cream maker. (I cut this recipe in half as my ice cream maker is not big enough to handle the whole recipe.)


Pumpkin Ice Cream
From Maida Heatter's New Book of Great Desserts


Ingredients:
6 egg yolks
1 cup mashed cooked pumpkin ( about half a one pound can of solid-pack pumpkin; do not use pumpkin pie filling)
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ginger
4 cups heavy cream


Method:
In an electric mixer, beat the egg yolks until they are pale, thick and creamy.
Place the pumpkin in the top half of a large double boiler. Add the beaten egg yolks, sugar, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger. Place over the hot water on moderate heat.
Cook, stirring and scraping the bottom with a rubber spatula for 10 minutes, or until slightly thickened.
Remove and set aside, stirring occasionally, until cooled. (Or you can set the double boiler top in a bowl of ice and water and stir constantly until cold.)
In a large chilled bowl with chilled beaters, beat the whipping cream until it holds a soft shape. If you beat it too much, it will taste buttery and not creamy.
Fold into the pumpkin mixture. I put it in the fridge for a few hours, but Maida says it is cold enough to freeze right then.
Freeze according to manufacturers directions.

(And be sure to check out my cookbook giveaway in the last post! Winners will be announced on November 5th.)



71 comments:

  1. Looks delicious, I think I'd love that flavor. Especially with the croutons! Fantastic!

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  2. Barbara, this ice cream looks so good that I would be willing to eat it in the middle of the Arctic circle, wearing only a thin jacket!

    Yet another reason to buy an ice cream maker. :-)

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  3. This is a very seasonal dessert. I have to try the gingerbread croutons.

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  4. You've combined two of my favorite fall flavors, pumpkin and gingerbread. The croutons really make this special.

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  5. You brought back wonderful memories. I remember craving a pumpkin ice cream that was available commercially during autumn when I was young. How wonderful to have a recipe so that I can make it myself.

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  6. Terrific! That combo is just perfect and your ice cream is to die for!

    Cheers and Happy Halloween,

    Rosa

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  7. OMG Barbara I think an pumpkin Ice cream is absolutely lovey and delicious!!! Love ya! look wonderful.Happy Halloween dear Barbara! goria

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  8. I love the croutons - what a nice touch!

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  9. I would love this! What a great combination! The croutons look so good.

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  10. Yum, Barbara. I think you should be crowned the ice cream queen, or at least 'The Frozen Desserts Queen'. Something like this;-)!

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  11. Sigh, this is the kind of recipe that makes me long for an ice cream maker. It sounds truly delicious!

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  12. I haven't heard of her but this ice cream is the best advertisement. It looks delicious. Although it's cold here I wish I had a scoop from this.

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  13. I've never heard of her. I'll have to look for that book. What a wonderful idea this is, pumpkin ice cream with croutons. I'm saving this for when my mom is here at Thanksgiving. What a great idea.

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  14. Pumpkin ice cream with croutons. Great idea.

    Happy Halloween Barbara.
    Sam

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  15. What a wonderful way to enjoy the taste of pumpkin pie! The gingerbread croutons are a really fantastic idea, Barbara. I think I might make up a batch of them for snacking purposes! :)

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  16. Pumpkin and gingerbread go perfectly together! I love the idea of those croutons with the ice cream. :)

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  17. What a delicious pumpkin combination!!
    Loving it sweet pal!

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  18. Golly,,,,why do people just eat pumpkin this time of year? I think this would taste great.

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  19. This is the treat I wish I had tonight, love the *croutons*

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  20. Hi Barbara,

    How delicious the combination of the pumpkin and gingerbread would be.
    I think I need to buy an icecream maker.
    Hope that you had a happy Halloween and wish you a great week ahead.

    Hugs
    Carolyn

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  21. I've never thought of making ice cream with squash...and this would probably be a great time to give such a tasty recipe a whirl.
    Thanks for sharing one of Maida's recipes with us.

    Happy Halloween ;o))
    Claudia

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  22. I need to get cracking on some of those ice cream recipes in his book, as this one looks so yummy, love that you paired it with gingerbread

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  23. Such timing, the men in my family have been bugging me for pumpkin ice cream. If they saw this post they would complain that your family is eating what they want to eat and that not fair!
    Mimi

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  24. This is one of the reasons an ice cream is on my christmas list. Sounds loaded with delicious flavor!

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  25. Pumpkin ice cream is my favorite! I'll take it over pumpkin pie any day. And I love the idea of gingerbread "croutons." Awesome.

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  26. Gosh, I never even heard pumpkin ice cream. I'd love to have a taste !

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  27. Maida Heatter does have some great recipes, and this looks like a winner. Just great for fall...lovely!

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  28. Oh my. The Knight and I agreed no sweets this month except for Thanksgiving. Of course, I might need to practice a new recipe a few times, no?

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  29. I've never had pumpkin ice cream but I can imagine how delicious it would be. Hmmm, I wonder if pumpkin pie with pumpkin ice cream would be overkill? Not for me :)

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  30. I LOVE pumpkin and gingerbread. Perfect combo!

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  31. Barbara: This looks fantastic! The gingerbread croutons are a perfect finishing touch. I can almost (wish I could) taste their crunch in that creamy goodness!!

    Best,
    Bonnie

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  32. You said ice cream made with pumpkin? I have never had one before.......I am totally enticed.

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  33. wow looks amazing yep had fun carving jack o lantern with j its on my facebook page if your on there lol

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  34. I love home made pumpkin ice cream too and I like the spices that you have used too-very pumpkin pie! :D

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  35. Oh how clever you are with those gingerbread croutons, Barbara. :-) I'm delighted by them!!

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  36. Hi Barbara, Its strange as much as I love sweets I am not a big fan of ice cream, I hardly ever eat it. I love making homemade ice cream for my family and friends and I barely touch it...unless its pumpkin. I love pumpkin ice cream and a little pistachio every now and then. This is a winner recipe. thanks for sharing it!
    xx

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  37. Gingerbread croutons - what a neat idea. I love it. By the way, I'm holding a CSN giveaway on my blog and you're welcome to come by and enter. http://sweet-as-sugar-cookies.blogspot.com/2010/11/45-csn-giveaway.html

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  38. What a beautiful Fall inspired ice cream. Awesome. Ice cream is something us Floridians can enjoy all year.

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  39. What a brilliant idea Barbara to serve little bits of gingerbread with the pumpkin ice-cream as croutons! love it!
    I love Maida Heatter too; can't even count how many of her dessert and cookie recipes I tried over the years! She is great!

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  40. Serendipity, Barbara! Last week I made David Lebovitz's Sweet Potato Ice Cream for the first time. We served it with pecan bars. Sadly my camera's battery was kaput.

    So I know this recipe is going to be fabulous. I love the idea of the gingerbread croutons--perfect!

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  41. SWOONING over the gingerbread croutons - that is a fabulous touch!! We love ice cream in this house - and it's not reserved just for summer, we enjoy it year-round!

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  42. oh my, what a delicious fall combination - YUM!

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  43. I am not good at icecream... but this recipe sure makes me want to try!! Great job!

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  44. What a lovely treat! Perfect for this time of year!

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  45. gingerbread croutons, what!?! i've gotta hand it to ya, barbara--this is an absolutely brilliant combination!

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  46. this looks so lovely..wish i had a big bowl of this right now with extra gingerbread croutons please.. thank you for sharing this.

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  47. Gingerbread croutons!!! Awesome "cookie replacement" to have with ice cream! (Makes me start to wonder what else I could do with them???) This dessert looks delicious!

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  48. Dearest Barbara! You always are a treat to visit! And I thank YOU for your kind comments and encouragement. What a lovely time of year, isn't it? This ice cream would make my husband turn into a little boy again, and ME TOO! I would imagine it has a sort of egg nog flavor! Thank you for spreading your lovely cheer and goodness...enjoy a wonderful week, Anita

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  49. I NEED an ice cream machine too. But it is best for me not to have one. I think it might be too dangerous for me to have!!!

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  50. Oh my goodness....what a great idea...you amaze me everytime I visit...thank you for soooo much JOY and yumminess. xoxo

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  51. I love the idea of cake croutons! Somehow it seems more virtuous than just eating cake per se. I know, that's just my twisted logic. ;)

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  52. This post is tipping me over the edge into "I need an ice-cream maker territory!". Gingerbread croutons sound sensational. I must try to find some of MH's books, they sound great.

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  53. This looks great! I'm loving the gingerbread crouton idea :)

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  54. Whoa. The ice cream looks and sounds insanely good. But, more than that, those croutons are...genius. I love it.

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  55. Whenever I see pumpkin pie ice cream in the store, I can't help but buy it immediately. And now I feel similarly about this ice cream. I've already got my shoes on to go buy heavy cream. Looks amazing and I lvoe the gingerbread croutons! Nice touch.

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  56. What a brilliant take on these flavors. I definitely will be trying this one.

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  57. I'd love to cook or bake my way through Maida's books! Pumpkin ice cream sounds delicious, and the gingerbread croutons are genius.

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  58. Pumpkin ice cream sounds like the most divine way to celebrate the season. I love it! So glad you posted a recipe :)

    (And for the record: my ASL teacher is a female, so no worries!)

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  59. Barbara I think we were separated @ birth. What you post is what I love. Wish we were neighbors & good neighbors!

    Happy Nov. to you x

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  60. The pumpkin and gingerbread sound wonderful together. I'll definitely check out her gingerbread recipe!

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  61. What a spectacular seasonal desert. I love the sound of the gingerbread croutons :D
    *kisses* HH

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  62. Oh ice cream makers! My good friends have one of those fancy Italian ones that cost as much as a car but make ice cream with the flick of a switch... perfect ice cream My Kitchenaid attachment is a pain and takes a day's notice to use... that could be a good thing so I can't make ice cream all the time and be as big as a hippo! But this...this is great ice cream and it is the time of year that I get a big pumpkin, bake it and stow away bags of puree in the freezer... this would be great on a Thanksgiving dessert spread!

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  63. Wow, I need to get my hands on that book because your pumpkin ice cream looks and sounds incredible! :)

    Sues

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  64. this is sheer genius! especially with those gingerbread croutons, delicious!

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  65. That sounds wonderful!!!I would love to try it!

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  66. Pumpkin ice cream - I'd be in heaven!

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  67. gingerbread croutons??? What a wonderful idea!

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  68. A delicious pumpkin treat! Love pumpkin in either pie or ice cream!

    Crunchy croutons, what a great choice!

    Sawadee from Bangkok,
    Kris

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  69. Such tempting fall desserts! Btw, anymore pumpkins need to be finish up? haha... Soon is thankgiving! Turkey...turkey...turkey time. Wow, time just flies!
    Kristy

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  70. Yum thanks for the recipe. I just started to use my icecream machine so this will come in handy.

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